


memories.

by bitterheart



Series: namkianga. [11]
Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: Alternate Universe - Amnesiac/Baker, Amnesiac Gilgamesh, Baker Enkidu, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-13 17:13:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21184379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitterheart/pseuds/bitterheart
Summary: Enkidu is a baker and Gilgamesh has lost his memory.





	memories.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thimble](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thimble/gifts).

> please don't take this one seriously.

It's the smell that draws Gilgamesh into this bakery, out of all the several others lining the street. They might all smell of fresh bread, but it's the sweetness of a fresh fruit tart that guides Gilgamesh's feet through this door, the bell chiming to alert the baker that they have a customer.

"Just a moment and I'll—oh." The baker stops in their tracks, just behind the counter, and stares at Gilgamesh.

"I came in too early," Gilgamesh guesses, because he can't think of any other reason why the baker is staring at him with such confusion.

"No, not at all," the baker replies quickly. "It's just that—well. I wasn't expecting to see you so soon. Or anyone, when it's so early. But of course, the doo ris open and it's always a pleasure to greet the first customer of the day. Please, help yourself to one of these plum tarts. They're a new addition and I'm still tweaking the recipe. I can't sell them until they're perfect."

"Oh," Gilgamesh says softly, in wonder. "This is the smell that made me want to come here."

Gilgamesh means it as a compliment but the look the baker gives him can only be described as wounded. It's a terrible expression, one that makes Gilgamesh want to move both heaven and earth to remedy, and that thought gives him pause.

When he woke this morning, he did so with most of his memories gone but from what he has managed to gather about himself, he is not the kind of man to go out of his way for anyone. Especially not a simple baker.

"Please," the baker says, pushing a tart across the counter. "Try one. They should be cool enough to eat now."

Gilgamesh does, trying not to notice the way the baker is staring at him. He doesn't really mind the attention. He knows he's attractive and the baker, despite their simple apron, is equally pleasing to look at. Gilgamesh hasn't yet worked out if they are man, woman, or something else entirely but he doesn't think he cares.

"What is your name?" Gilgamesh asks, biting into his tart again.

"Enkidu."

Something strange happens to Gilgamesh's chest then. It contracts so violently that he presses a hand to it. Enkidu notices immediately, giving him a look full of fear. Gilgamesh coughs to cover it up, hitting himself in the chest.

"I must have eaten the tart too quickly. It's delicious. It reminds me of—"

Gilgamesh breaks off there, unsure exactly what the memory is. A place, a person, a feeling, a life, all tied up in a smell and a taste. 

"It reminds me of love," Gilgamesh says at last, and immediately knows it's the wrong thing to say when Enkidu goes right back to wearing that wretched expression from before.

"I need to continue setting up the bakery." Enkidu sounds reluctant but it's a clear dismissal all the same. "Please, take another tart with you as you leave."

Gilgamesh does so gladly, nodding his thanks before he turns to leave.

"Gilgamesh, wait," Enkidu calls, as he's just about to step through the doorway. They smile at him but it looks sorrowful. "You'll return tomorrow, won't you? My tarts will be better then."

He grins. "In that case, I'll see you tomorrow morning."

It's not until the afternoon, once several hours have passed, that Gilgamesh realises that he never gave Enkidu his name.

The next morning, the first thing he says to Enkidu is, "Do you know who I am?"

Enkidu looks confused for a moment, and Gilgamesh sighs, unsure what he expected or why he feels so bitterly disappointed.

"You know my name," Gilgamesh says.

"Oh." Enkidu takes a breath. "I heard that there was a handsome man who fits your description, and that he goes by Gilgamesh. I didn't think it could be anyone but you."

Gilgamesh grins. "So you think I'm handsome, then."

"I think that's an objective truth," Enkidu replies. "You are handsome, in the same way your hair is blond."

"But subjectively?"

"Then, also yes." Enkidu bites their lip in an attempt to hide their smile. "I do think you are quite handsome, Gilgamesh."

"And I think you are stunningly beautiful," Gilgamesh tells them. "You belong in a palace somewhere, not a bakery."

"And what of you, then?"

"In the palace also, obviously." Gilgamesh knows that he's flirting too much for someone he only met yesterday and he can't explain his boldness. "With you by my side. Perhaps we would have matching thrones."

Enkidu laughs but it sounds strained. Perhaps Gilgamesh has taken things too far after all. "It's nice of you to share your throne, or at least your hypothetical one."

Gilgamesh thinks that he would share several things with Enkidu, given half the chance. He doesn't know how to explain the way he has felt immediately drawn to them since first meeting them, but it's a pleasant feeling and one that he's happy to bask in for a while longer.

The next morning, the feeling is even stronger. Gilgamesh has not slept well, plagued all night by dreams of buildings made of stone and gold that he cannot remember even though it felt like he should, and a sense of urgency as if someone was waiting for him and he was running out of time.

Enkidu looks distracted themselves, but simply shakes it off when Gilgamesh asks, more alert for a handful of minutes before once again withdrawing into their thoughts. It makes Gilgamesh wonder if they are hiding something but he doesn't know how to explain it. Especially not when half the time he looks at Enkidu, he thinks he's looking at someone else who looks just like them but has their hair down and wears a loose-fitting robe instead of an apron.

"Enkidu," he asks, "do you believe in past lives?"

"Not entirely," Enkidu answers slowly, carefully, thinking their words over before before speaking. "I believe we have one life, one heart. It can be manipulated into something that might feel real even when it isn't but in the end, we only have one and we need to do whatever we can in it. If we make mistakes, those are ours to live with and no one else's."

"You are clever," Gilgamesh says, impressed. "Perhaps you do belong in the palace after all."

"Well, if I ever go," Enkidu says, "I'll make sure that we go together."

The next morning, after an entire night of fitful dreams, Gilgamesh wakes to a truth he's been reaching for without realising how close it has been all this time.

He walks into the bakery, his heart pounding. The first thing he says is, "You are Enkidu."

"Yes," Enkidu replies, raising an eyebrow. "I am."

"No. That is not what I mean." Gilgamesh tries again. "You are my Enkidu. Just as I am your Gilgamesh."

Enkidu grips the edge of the counter hard enough that the wood creaks beneath their fingers. They pay no mind to it, staring at Gilgamesh. "You remembered."

"What did I forget?" Gilgamesh asks. "_Why_ did I forget? Enkidu, how could I ever forget you?"

"The gods willed it," Enkidu answers, a moment's contempt sneaking into their voice before it's gone again. They walk around the counter, to Gilgamesh, who pulls them into his arms. Their arms come up around him tightly, holding on as if he could be torn away at any moment. Enkidu rests their head against Gilgamesh's shoulder as they continue. "They were testing you. They were unconvinced that you were changed and believe that if you lost your memories, if you lost me, you would revert to just how you were before. I could do nothing but watch. I was warned that if I were to interfere, the gods would see to it that you would never remember me again."

"I shudder to think of the person I would have become if I didn't find you," Gilgamesh says. "Even when I knew nothing of myself but my name, I knew that I was missing someone, or something. All this time, tit was my heart that I was missing and you _do_ belong in a palace, right by my side. The gods are fools to think that something so simple would possibly keep me from you. My love for you is much stronger. You have proof of that now."

"Yes I do," Enkidu says into Gilgamesh's shoulder. "Oh, I missed you. Even with you right in front of me."

"Let's go home." Gilgamesh keeps his arms around Enkidu, unwilling to be apart from them for even a moment. "The next time the gods think to test us, we'll fight them ourselves."


End file.
